The founders of Google and LinkedIn are two different people. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, while LinkedIn was founded by Reid Hoffman.
The Founders of Google
Google began as a research project in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were both PhD students at Stanford University. They had developed a new search algorithm called PageRank that ranked search results based on the number of links pointing to a page. This was a dramatic improvement over existing search engines at the time.
In 1998, Page and Brin founded Google Inc. in a friend’s garage in Menlo Park, California. The company name “Google” is a play on the mathematical term “googol,” representing the immense amount of information that the search engine was intended to explore. Google’s initial public offering took place on August 19, 2004, raising $1.67 billion in the process.
Larry Page served as Google’s founding CEO until 2001 when Eric Schmidt was brought in to serve as CEO. Page then took over as CEO again in 2011. As of 2022, Page has a net worth estimated at $93 billion, making him one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Some key facts about Larry Page:
- Full Name: Lawrence Edward Page
- Born: March 26, 1973 (age 49)
- Birthplace: East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan, Master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University
- Key Role at Google: Co-founder, Former CEO, Board Member
Sergey Brin served as Google’s co-founder and president of technology until 2011 when he became director of special projects. As of 2022, he has an estimated net worth of $89 billion.
Some key facts about Sergey Brin:
- Full Name: Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin
- Born: August 21, 1973 (age 49)
- Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland, PhD in computer science from Stanford University
- Key Role at Google: Co-founder, Former President of Technology, Board Member
Together, Page and Brin created one of the most successful technology companies in history. Google has become an essential part of everyday life for billions of people around the world.
The Founder of LinkedIn
LinkedIn was founded by American internet entrepreneur Reid Hoffman in 2002. Hoffman came up with the idea for LinkedIn after noting that professional contacts were a key component of success in one’s career. He envisioned a site that would allow professionals to connect with each other and manage their networks online.
Some key facts about Reid Hoffman:
- Full Name: Reid Garrett Hoffman
- Born: August 5, 1967 (age 55)
- Birthplace: Stanford, California, U.S.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from Stanford University, Master’s degree from Oxford University
- Key Role at LinkedIn: Founder, Former CEO, Chairman
Hoffman was an early employee at PayPal in the early 2000s before leaving to pursue LinkedIn full-time. He had previous internet startup experience from working at SocialNet and Fujitsu.
LinkedIn officially launched on May 5, 2003. Within its first month, LinkedIn had over 4,500 users. The company achieved profitability by March 2006 with over 20 million registered users.
LinkedIn continued growing quickly and went public in 2011 in one of the most successful tech IPOs of that year. As of 2022, LinkedIn has over 875 million members around the world and is now owned by Microsoft after being acquired in 2016 for $26.2 billion.
Key Differences Between Google and LinkedIn
While Google and LinkedIn are both massively successful tech companies, there are some key differences between the two:
Search engine company | Professional networking site |
Founded in 1998 | Founded in 2002 |
Founders are Larry Page and Sergey Brin | Founder is Reid Hoffman |
Went public in 2004 | Went public in 2011 |
Acquired YouTube in 2006 | Acquired by Microsoft in 2016 |
In summary, Google focuses on organizing the world’s information through products like Search, Maps, Translate, etc. LinkedIn focuses specifically on professional networking and job seeking. While Google’s founders came from academia, LinkedIn’s founder had experience in the tech industry before starting the company.
Conclusion
Google and LinkedIn were both founded in Silicon Valley in the early 2000s and have become indispensable online platforms for billions of people. However, they were created by different founders with distinct visions and business models. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google as a revolutionary search engine. Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn as a way for professionals to connect online. Though they have some similarities as major tech companies, they maintain separate missions and operate independently today.